The Board for Undergraduate Studies (BUS) is one of the main regulatory arms of the University of the West Indies. It has responsibility for all aspects of undergraduate policy, for quality assurance, and for the preservation of regionality at the University of the West Indies (UWI). BUS meets three times a year – usually in October, February and May. Its membership includes academic and administrative staff representing all four of the University’s Campuses, as well as representatives from groups such as the Student Guild and the Alumni Association.

The implementation arm of BUS is the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (OBUS). Since OBUS began its work in 1996, a critical area of focus has been the development and implementation of UWI’s system of quality assurance that was mandated by the 1995 Report of the Chancellor's Commission on Governance. This focus on quality is in keeping with developments in higher education across the world. The Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) was formed in 2001 to take special responsibility for this aspect of the work of OBUS.

Publications by OBUS and the QAU include periodicals such as the UWI Quality Circle and a newly instituted e-newsletter, OBUS News. OBUS also produces a refereed academic journal, The UWI Quality Education Forum, published annually.

The University’s vision for the future, as articulated in the UWI Strategic Plan for 2012-2017, is that ‘By 2017 the University will be globally recognised as a regionally integrated, innovative, internationally competitive university, deeply rooted in all aspects of Caribbean development and committed to serving the diverse people of the region and beyond’.The committed and highly capable staff of OBUS is dedicated to helping the University of the West Indies reach that goal.

Office of the Vice ChancellorThe University of the West Indies Regional HeadquartersKingston 7, Jamaica, W.I.